The Shack Revisited by William Paul Young
Week 8: Chapter 7 — Athanasius and the Great Exchange
Read Chapter 7 of The Shack Revisited. Primary Bible passages: 2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Peter 1:4; John 17:22-23.
Previewing Week 8 of The Shack Revisited
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
This chapter is Kruger's most explicitly historical and theological — he takes us into the fourth-century debates about Christ's identity and shows us why Athanasius fought so fiercely for what seemed like a technicality. Get ready to meet a hero of the faith who changed everything.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Kruger introduces Athanasius of Alexandria and his famous battle against Arianism. In simple terms, what was at stake in that controversy? Why does Kruger believe Athanasius was defending not just an abstract doctrine but the very possibility of salvation?
2.Athanasius argued: "God became human so that humans might become divine" (theosis). Kruger unpacks this carefully. What does it mean to "become divine" — and what does it emphatically not mean? How does this differ from New Age or pantheistic ideas about becoming God?
3.Kruger explains Athanasius's logic: if Jesus is anything less than fully God, then the union between God and humanity in the Incarnation cannot reach all the way to God, and we are not actually saved. Walk through that argument in your own words. Do you find it compelling?
a.What is your gut reaction to the idea that the technical details of Christology have life-or-death stakes?
b.Why might the Church have been right to fight so hard over the word homoousios ("same substance")?